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Tag: 2015

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to prevent discrimination against single people.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Certain provisions in the Equality Act 2010 – for example permitted exceptions from the age discrimination requirements for retail concessions to students and pensioners – are likely to be of particular benefit to single people.

    Single status is not a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. In the provision of goods and services we believe there is a balance to be struck between the interests of single people and the commercial considerations of business. The government, therefore, has no plans to change the Equality Act 2010.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 10 February (HL4487), concerning the state of human rights in the Republic of Ireland, what steps they have taken to ascertain that the government of the Republic of Ireland is and has been carrying out those sections of the Belfast Agreement to which it agreed in 1998.

    Baroness Randerson

    I have nothing to add to my previous answer of 10 February to the Noble Lord.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to introduce a Strategic Clinical Network for musculoskeletal disorders, as recommended by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.

    Earl Howe

    NHS England’s National Clinical Director for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, Peter Kay, is currently working in partnership with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), to develop new MSK clinical networks across England.

    The work ARMA has done to date has been very successful in capturing examples of best practice in MSK care across England, bringing together health professionals and commissioners and building a strong consensus on the way forward for models of care for MSK patients across the entire MSK community. Work is ongoing in this area and NHS England and ARMA are in dialogue about the nature of such support.

    NHS England is undertaking a review of the role, purpose and function of the sub-regional infrastructure that it funds, which is focussed on supporting commissioners and providers to improve the quality of services including Strategic Clinical Networks (SCN), Clinical Senates and Academic Health Science Networks. The purpose of the review is to understand how the best value can be secured from the investment in these functions, in support of commissioners and providers in improving quality. This review is ongoing and is expected to reach its conclusions by the end of March.

    Regarding plans to introduce MSK networks as part of the SCN programme, NHS England has made clear that as priorities change, or should the work of one of the initial SCNS conclude, it will identify new conditions or patient groups that would benefit from an SCN approach.

    The provision of fracture liaison services (FLS) and falls services is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England advises that it is aware that provision of good FLS is not uniform across the country and it continues to work with CCGs to support them to develop appropriate local FLS services. It also advises that the FLS model recommended by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the National Osteoporosis society is recognised as best practice and is being promoted.

    In addition to this, the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Falls: assessment and prevention of falls in older people sets out best practice for clinicians on the management of patients aged 65 and over who are susceptible to falls.

  • Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the principles and prohibitions regarding eugenic practices in the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine form part of the constitutional traditions common to member states of the European Union.

    Earl Howe

    The United Kingdom has not signed or ratified the Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.

  • Margaret Curran – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Curran – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Curran on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Scottish Ministers on the sharing of Scottish NHS data with HM Revenue and Customs.

    Mr David Gauke


    Treasury ministers discuss a wide range of issues with their ministerial counterparts, including in the Scottish Government. In line with the practice followed by previous administrations, details of such discussions are not routinely disclosed.

  • Harriet Harman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Harriet Harman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on UK creative industries.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    A majority of EU Member States opposed including the audiovisual sector, including the creative industries, in TTIP, and is it not currently included in the EU negotiating mandate. However, overall TTIP has the potential to be the largest bilateral trade agreement in the world so it is clear it would bring significant economic benefits to the UK in terms of jobs and growth, as independent analysis has suggested.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on supplying arms to Ukraine’s military; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    I have discussed the crisis in Ukraine with a number of my NATO counterparts. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) set out in his statement to the House on 10 February: ‘it is a national decision for each country in the NATO alliance to decide whether to supply lethal equipment to Ukraine. The UK is not planning to do so, but we reserve the right to keep this position under review. Different members of the alliance take nuanced positions on this question and are entitled to do so.

  • David Simpson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Simpson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what change there has been in access to prostate cancer treatments since 2012.

    George Freeman

    Since April 2013, NHS England has been the responsible commissioner for chemotherapy and radiotherapy services, together with a number of specialist surgical services, which include some complex urology and colorectal cancer surgeries. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for the diagnostic pathway and some surgeries for both colorectal and urological cancers.

    NHS England routinely commissions a range of anti-cancer drug treatments for both colorectal and prostate cancer. These are drug indications that have either been recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance, or have been considered as routine practice in the treatment of these cancers for many years.

    NICE is the independent body that assesses the clinical and cost-effectiveness of treatments for routine use in the National Health Service. NICE has recommended the following treatments for prostate cancer through its technology appraisal process since 1 January 2012:

    – abiraterone (Zytiga) for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen; and

    – enzalutamide (Xtandi) for metastatic hormone‑relapsed prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel‑containing regimen.

    NICE is in the process of appraising the following treatments:

    – sipuleucel-T (Provenge) for the first line treatment of metastatic hormone relapsed prostate cancer;

    – degarelix depot (Firmagon) for treating advanced hormone dependent prostate cancer;

    – enzalutamide for treating metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer not previously treated with chemotherapy; and

    – radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) for hormone relapsed prostate cancer with bone metastases.

    NICE is currently reviewing technology appraisal guidance on cetuximab (Erbitux) and panitumumab (Vectibix) for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and expects to publish updated final guidance on these treatments in April 2016.

    In addition to routinely commissioned treatments, the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) provides access to other treatments that would not normally be available.

    From April 2013, NHS England assumed operational responsibility for the CDF. As of 19 January 2015, the following drugs are available through the national CDF list for the treatment of prostate cancer:

    – abiraterone;

    – cabazitaxel (Jevtana);

    – enzalutamide; and

    – radium-223 dichloride.

    Cabizitaxel is due to be removed from the national CDF list on 12 March 2015.

    The following drugs are also available through the national CDF list for the treatment of colorectal cancer:

    – aflibercept (Zaltrap);

    – bevacizumab (Avastin);

    – cetuximab; and

    – panitumumab.

    Aflibercept, bevacizumab as a first-line treatment and cetuximab as a second- or third-line treatment with combination chemotherapy are due to be removed from the national CDF list on 12 March 2015.

    Since April 2013, there has been progress in meeting the Government’s commitment to increase patient access to inverse planned Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT). The success of this planned expansion of access is demonstrated in the increased number of IMRT episodes (patients), which has risen from just over 8,500 per year in 2012-13 to a projected figure of over 25,000 in 2014-15 of which around 40% of these patients are treated with IMRT for prostate cancer.

    NHS England has not altered the service specification or published any commissioning policies which have altered those colorectal cancer surgical services that fall within the remit of specialised commissioning.

  • Jon Trickett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jon Trickett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department disbursed to projects in (a) Pakistan and (b) Azad Kashmir in each of the last 10 years.

    Justine Greening

    Total UK ODA to Pakistan by financial year since 2005 is as follows. This includes both bilateral and multilateral spend.

    Financial Year

    Total Spend (£m)

    2004-05

    30.4

    2005-06

    65.6

    2006-07

    88.9

    2007-08

    83.3

    2008-09

    120.9

    2009-10

    138.7

    2010-11

    204.4

    2011-12

    216.4

    2012-13

    202.9

    2013-14

    253.1

    2014-15 provisional spend is currently being finalised and will be made available by May 2015.

    DFID has a bilateral programme with Pakistan, but does not have a specific programme in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), which is an autonomous administrative territory of Pakistan. AJK benefits from DFID-supported national programmes in Pakistan that promote economic growth and improve health services, and has also benefited from DFID’s humanitarian programmes.

  • Hywel Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Hywel Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to share information on personal independence payment claimants between his Department and social services departments in local authorities.

    Mr Mark Harper

    A key part of the personal independence payment claims process is that claimants are able to tell the Department who is best placed to provide supporting evidence. Such evidence can come from a variety of sources, including social services, as well as GPs, community nurses, family members and carers.

    As part of continuous improvement, the Department will continue to work with other areas of the public sector, including local authorities, to improve this information sharing process to ensure the best possible outcomes for claimants. The Government is also considering the recommendation by Paul Gray in his independent review of the PIP assessment to explore the potential for wider sharing of information, and will respond in due course.